Bedford Tourist Attractions

Bedford was founded in 1854 on a portion of the farm Maastroom which was the property of the Lieutenant Governor of the Cape, Sir Andries Stockenström who named the town after his friend the Duke of Bedford. The town is situated at the foot of the well forested Kaga Mountain It is in the centre of a pastoral farming and Game Hunting area.

Sir Andries Stockenström was well known for his sympathies for the indigenous peoples of the area and possibly it was for this reason that his house and its famous library were burned to the ground during the War of Mlanjeni by British and Colonial soldiers. The area was also where the Scottish Settlers of 1820 settled, amongst them Thomas Pringle who began the fight for press freedom in South Africa and later began South Africa’s first independent newspaper.

Bedford is easily one of the prettiest villages in the Eastern Cape and is well worth a walk around. The following suggested walk is an easy way to see some, but not all, of the attractive buildings in the village.

Approached down a curving avenue of ancient oaks, this peaceful oasis with huge trees, sweeping lawns and a riot of roses frames a blue-chip guesthouse and a gracious family home. Windows in the various garden ‘rooms’ invite the eye...